Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. – Deuteronomy 19:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 12, 2018): Deuteronomy 19

On November 30, 2008, a code word was shared among the family of President George H. W. Bush. The code word was CAVU, a word used by pilots meaning “Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited.” It was a word that the forty-first President of the United States believed summed up his life. Anything was possible. There were no limits to what he and we could do. But when the family heard the code word on this occasion, it carried a different meaning. George H. W. Bush had died. And yet, the ceiling and visibility were still unlimited.

Life is filled with possibilities. And yet, some moments happen in all of our lives that feel very limiting. George H. W. Bush’s life was not without obstacles that had to be overcome. What seemed to make a difference in his life was the graciousness and persistence that marked his reactions to those obstacles

Moses commands that cites of refuge be set up in Israel. At a time when justice was often carried out by family members or informal groups of people and was often retribution without a trial, these places of refuge served an important purpose. They slowed the hand of justice long enough for a trial to be had and prevented justice from being dispensed in a fit of rage. In doing so, the cities of refuge protected the unlimited future of Israel. An accident can derail many lives. Feuds can develop that can envelop families for generations. The accidental death of one person can cause the murder of another and, in cases where frontier justice ruled, the killing can seem like it has no end. History provides us with many accounts of these kinds of feuds and even wars that have resulted because of these untimely deaths. Then the future becomes a dark place, and not one where the “ceiling and visibility [is] unlimited.” So the cities of refuge really protected the future of the nation.

It is important to note that these were not places where the guilty could run to escape the justice that they deserved. If they were judged to be guilty, then the person was turned over to the family of the one who had been killed. But the cities introduced a pause, at least some kind of a trial with more than one witness, and the protection of both the individual life and the society. A guilty verdict would provide a legal reason for the execution of the offender by the victim’s family or friends. A verdict of innocent would protect the life of the individual and the society, ensuring that the future continued to be filled with possibility and that the ceiling and visibility remained unlimited.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 20

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft … Deuteronomy 18:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 11, 2018): Deuteronomy 18

With Christmas approaching, in many homes, we begin to retell the stories of Christmas. Retelling the stories includes watching Christmas Movies, even ones that we have seen many times before. In my home, we try to find time to watch a few movies, which often includes a rerun of “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby. We retell stories that include that great elf, Santa Clause. And, of course, stories that surround the birth of Jesus.

There are many aspects of the story that have become comfortably known to us. Sometimes, we lose the element of surprise that the Christmas story contained when it was first told. Angels and shepherds, wise men traveling from afar, and, of course, the Christmas Star. All are stories that we tell with great comfort, but that would have been received in the first century with great surprise.

But there is also a prophecy that, when the story was first told, probably caused great concern among those who heard it. The prophecy is found in Matthew’s Gospel. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)” (Matthew 1:22-23). The problem with the prophecy is that no one considered it to be Messianic until Matthew told the story of the birth of Jesus.

The prophecy originates in Isaiah 7 in a story of Isaiah’s warning to Ahaz. Ahaz has just become King. It is a troubling time for the nation. Ahaz, by the way, comes from very good stock. His father was Jotham, a good king of Judah. His grandfather was Azariah, another king listed in the Scripture as one who had done right in the sight of the God. His great-grandfather was Amaziah, again a king who the Scripture declares as good.

But the warning signs that Ahaz was not going to follow in the footsteps of his Fathers comes very early in his reign. Ahaz rises to power amidst great strife. Assyria is the current superpower on the world stage. The countries of Israel and Aram have decided to combine forces to resist Assyria. And they have also decided that they are going to force Judah and their young king to join them. Isaiah comes to Ahaz and warns him not to combine forces with Israel and Aram. He argues that God alone will be Judah’s defense and that Ahaz can trust God to keep Judah safe. And that if Ahaz desires a sign that this is true, God is willing to provide it. 

But Ahaz has other plans. He has no desire to trust either in God or in Israel and Aram. In the King’s great wisdom, he has decided to join forces with Assyria. And so he refuses to ask for a sign. But Isaiah gives him one anyway. ^“Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:13-14). It is important to note that the translators have decided to interpret this verse through the eyes of Matthew. A better translation of the actual wording of the text would be that a “young woman will conceive and give birth to a son.” It is a sign given to Ahaz. His son would be born as a sign of God. His young bride would become pregnant and give birth and would do so in a time of great distress, all because Ahaz had decided to ignore the commands of God.

Who was the son? We don’t know. But there is a hint that maybe Ahaz took proactive steps to make sure that the sign of God never appeared in Judah. The author of Kings makes this statement about Ahaz. “He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire …” (2 Kings 16:3). It is just possible that Ahaz decided to sacrifice the child of promise and the sign of God. And in doing so, Ahaz proved that he had no intention of following the dictates of God, even willing to sacrifice his own son, violating the command of Moses, in the hope of avoiding the sign spoken of by Isaiah and proving himself right.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 19

On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. – Deuteronomy 17:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 10, 2018): Deuteronomy 17

Controversial socialite and the eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, once commented “If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody come sit next to me,” and with those words revealed the great obsession of our culture; gossip. Somehow we believe two things about gossip that are verifiably false. The first is that those who are willing to sit beside us and tell us a story are somehow speaking the truth. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg sat down and watched a “Saturday Night Live” skit portraying her for a documentary on her amazing life. She laughed as she watched the antics on the screen and seemed to quite enjoy the skit. Then the interviewer asked her if she recognized herself in the actor’s portrayal, and RBG giggled and said “no. That’s not me.” The stories we spread through gossip seldom reflect the person about whom we are speaking. I have heard stories about my life that are totally without any connection to the truth. And it helps if these stories are told in my absence because then there is no one to say “you know, that never happened.”

The second false idea about gossip is that by tearing someone else down, we can somehow build ourselves up. It is as if there is some great miraculous connection between someone else’s failure and our own success. We tell the stories as if knowing something about someone else’s problems will make us important.

Moses raises the standard with regard to capital crime. No one is to be put to death on a single report of one witness. The word witness is important here. Stories told by gossips have no relationship with the truth and should never be used in a trial. But even a witness can be wrong. In recent years, there have been a few capital cases that have been overturned because of evidence that the witnesses in the case were mistaken. As a result, we understand that no one should be executed unless we have the testimony of more than one unimpeachable witness to the events under investigation.

But Paul expands this command. It is not just capital cases in which unimpeachable witnesses are important. In the world of the gossip, reputations are murdered with no evidence that the accusations are true. Often, if there is not enough evidence for a trial, then we proceed to kill the reputation of someone through the stories that we tell. Paul’s condemns this practice. “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). When that person who has nothing good to say about anybody sits down beside you, do not listen, and definitely do repeat, whatever it is that they tell you. The assassination of character is a serious crime in the eyes of God. And the work of the gossip has no place within our midst.       

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 18

Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. – Deuteronomy 16:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 9, 2018): Deuteronomy 16

Christmas is now just over two weeks away. The decorations are already out. Snow filled nativity scenes are everywhere. In fact, it is hard to separate the season from the snow. Our favorite songs of the season include references to the white stuff, from “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” to “Let it Snow” and, of course, our winter favorite, “Jingle Bells.”  But the reality is that the date for our Christmas celebration is completely arbitrary. The choice of December 25 as the celebration of the birth of Jesus was influenced more by our desire to have a holiday that would compete with the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, celebrated on or around December 21 north of the equator honoring the shortest day of the year, then it was influenced by any religious significance. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, partially because the idea of “birthdays” as having importance is a relatively recent historical development. December 25 isn’t even among the most likely days for the holy birth. And while Bethlehem does get snow in December, on the average Bethlehem receives one snowy day every December, it is not likely that the baby Jesus had to deal with the white stuff when he was born in …  April, or June, or September?

Christmas is not a historical holiday, like Veteran’s or Remembrance Day, which marks the end of the First World War and is celebrated on November 11 every year. Christmas is a day of spiritual significance. It is the day on which we remember the miracles that surrounded the birth of Jesus. The fact that Christmas is not historical in no way lessens the importance of the celebration, as some seem to want to argue. Christmas is important. But it is not historical.

In contrast to our celebration of Christmas, the Passover is a historical, as well as a spiritual, celebration. Moses tells the people of Israel to celebrate Passover during the month of Aviv (note that since the Babylonian Captivity, Aviv is known as the month of Nisan) every year because that is when he brought you out of Egypt at night. There is a historical significance to the celebration. When your children ask you if the Passover really happened, you can point to the Passover celebration, and the month of Aviv or Nisan, and say with confidence that we know because we celebrate it at the time of the year when it Israel’s escape from Egypt actually took place. While Christmas could probably be celebrated at any time of the year (Christmas in July anyone), Passover is tied to the historical event that happened at a particular moment in history.

In Christianity, the date of Passover is important because we tie Easter to that particular moment and celebration. Easter is also celebrated during the month of Aviv or Nisan because historically Jesus crucifixion took place during the celebration of Passover. Easter, like Passover, is both historically and spiritually significant. Unlike the birth of Jesus which is surrounded by a historical mystery, his death is a historical reality. And of this, we can be confident.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 17

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you … - Deuteronomy 15:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 8, 2018): Deuteronomy 15

Plutarch argued that “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” In the developed countries, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. And it might be at its worst in the United States. Countries like Russia have traditionally suffered from a wide gap between the rich and the poor largely because of corruption. But the truth is that the gap between the rich and the poor in the United States is even worse. And, ironically, it was this gap that caused many of the poor and marginalized, especially those who were white, to turn out and sweep the self-proclaimed billionaire Donald Trump into political power in that country. The hope was that somehow they could become rich like him. And often we equate being rich with being smart.

Moses is actually split on the idea of the poverty in the land. Here he stresses that poverty is unnecessary. We can take this to mean that especially stupid poverty, where people do not have the resources necessary to survive, does not have to exist in our societies. Every day it seems that I see pictures of stupid poverty dance across the various media screens in my life. Children dying because of a lack of food, or because simple, cheap, lifesaving drugs are unavailable. And there is truly no need for this kind of poverty. But a few sentences later, Moses makes this statement: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11).

So, does Moses contradict himself within the space of a few sentences? Not really. The truth is that there is no need for stupid poverty. And yet poverty will always take up space within our societies. And the reasons can be complex. But there are also a few simple reasons as to why poverty will always exist.

The first reason is greed and corruption. Part of this is that the rich often have no comprehension of what it means to be poor. So President Donald Trump gets to brag that he is a self-made man who started with a small loan of a million dollars from his father. (Yes, I know that that is most likely a lie and that the actual influence of dad on his son’s empire was more like a multi-million-dollar gift rather than a million-dollar loan. But let’s stick with the lie for a moment.) Most of us will never have the chance to borrow a million dollars from anyone so that we can start our empire. A million-dollar start-up loan is beyond our experience and understanding. But for Donald Trump, that is a very small loan. So there is a lack of understanding on the part of the rich at exactly what it means to be poor. Beyond that, the rich will often do anything to get richer, including, especially in corrupt smaller nations, stealing relief supplies that are designed to help those suffering under stupid poverty. The lack of understanding, greed, and corruption, on the part of the wealthy, conspire to make sure that the poor remain poor.

But the rich are not totally to blame. The poor often make bad financial decisions. We feed our desires, rather than doing without so that we can build wealth. Building real wealth is hard work, and those stuck in poverty are often the ones looking for an easy answer. We spend money on “get rich quick” schemes. We buy lottery tickets we cannot afford. We borrow from the rich so that we can own the car or the home of our dreams, putting our hard earned money in their pockets rather than doing with less so that we can invest money for ourselves that will help us acquire wealth. We spend all that we have on things that we want instead of need and continue to live our lives from paycheck to paycheck. And wealth eludes us.

Another reason for poverty is simple human frailty. There is no doubt that some in our society are poor because of mental illness or physical illness that keeps the poor from being able to make money. The poor exist because of drought and famine which is beyond the capacity of the people involved to fix. All of these are at least part of the cause of poverty.

But in the end, we also know the reality. Poverty does not need to exist, even in our contemporary society, but it always will, not because there is not enough, but because of the state of the human heart.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 16

… for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession. – Deuteronomy 14:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 7, 2018): Deuteronomy 14

Alexander the Great asked, “How should a man be capable of grooming his own horse, or of furbishing his own spear and helmet, if he allows himself to become unaccustomed to tending even his own person, which is his most treasured belonging?” It is an interesting question. How can we expect to treasure the important things in life, if we refuse to treasure ourselves and to recognize this incredible gift called life that God has placed inside of us? How can I love others in my circle of influence if I forget how to love myself? Self-care is important because it facilitates everything that I will ever do.

And so, as I sit through the lecture at the beginning of any commercial flight, I am reminded that if there is a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin, I should place the artificial air supply on my own face first, before I go about the task of helping anyone else in my vicinity that might require assistance. If I don’t, I won’t be able to be of assistance to anyone and instead will become one of the ones in need of help.

Of course, all of this depends on whether I view myself as being worthy of care. I meet too many people who do not seem to have that understanding of themselves. In the brashness of their outward statements, they might declare that they are worthy. But much deeper down runs a river of insecurity, and deep seeded questions about their worthiness, often delivered by our cultural understandings.

As Israel prepares for their move into Canaan, Moses wants to stress that they are worthy as a people. The nations that they meet may not value them, but God treasures them. He has chosen them to be the ones who would carry his message to the world. And he would shape the world through them. He could have done this through some other group of people, but he thought enough of them to choose them as his emissaries to the world.

But because they were chosen, they were also destined to be holy. Holy simply means different or set apart for a specific purpose. They were to conduct themselves differently from the other nations so that they could be a light shining in the darkness.

As Christians, we too share in the responsibility of being the chosen of God. We are set apart so that we can be a light in the darkness. But we will never be able to do what God has called us to do unless we understand that God treasures us, and begin to treasure ourselves.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 15

Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. – Deuteronomy 13:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 6, 2018): Deuteronomy 13

Mahatma Gandhi argued for a universality of religious experience. And he was one of the first to use the analogy of a river. “One may drink out of the same great river with others, but one need not use the same cup.” Later he would assert that “the soul of religion is one, but it is encased in a multitude of forms. My position is that all the great religions are fundamentally equal.” Did Gandhi really believe that all roads led to God? Maybe. But essentially the comment is a political one spoken in an age of religious diversity. For any political leader in a contemporary nation, outside of nations dedicated to Islam, political leaders need to have the ability to speak to people of all religious backgrounds. And people seldom listen when they are simply told that they are wrong.

Even Paul understood that in his famous interaction with the Greeks in Athens. “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship … (Acts 17:22b-23a). He understood that he was speaking to a non-Jewish audience who did not find their identity in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And so his approach was very different from what he taught in the synagogues of the Roman Empire.

In our current set-up of nations, the exception to this spiritual diversity are the Islamic nations. There, Islam is not just a religion or a set of spiritual beliefs. Islam in these nations is also a political understanding. In these cases, violating the teachings of Islam often result in imprisonment or even death, because Islamic belief is part of both the political understanding of the nation and national security.  It might be interesting to note that as the second decade of the Twenty-First century draws to a close, it is this understanding that has made Islam a political target in the United States. The move seems to be to attempt to make Christianity the dominant political belief system, an attempt that in North America’s political and spiritually diverse climate, seems destined to fail.

Words like these spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy are almost jarring to our contemporary political understanding. The “nones” in our cultural, those who hold to no spiritual tradition, are on the rise. Spiritual beliefs from many different cultures are also gaining visibility in our society. A while back I attended a service at the Hindu Temple that exists just across the street from the church that I pastor. But as I read these words of Moses, I have to remind myself that he did not live in my culture.

His culture was much more like the culture that exists in contemporary Islamic nations. Judaism was not just the spiritual understanding of the people. It was the political understanding as well as the identity of the nation. To be led away from God was to betray Israel and her future. And Moses was afraid that his people would not stand firm in their relationship with God, and would consequently lose their identity after he was gone. As a result, Israel would cease to exist.

And so Moses makes what we might understand more like a radical Islamic statement. Any violation of the religious norms must be punished by death because any violation of the spiritual norms would result in the loss of the identity of the nation. The strategy during the days of Moses worked because there was no spiritual diversity within Israel. The diversity existed outside of its doors, and Moses wanted to do whatever he could to make sure that it stayed on the outside.

For us, Moses strategy would fail precisely because of the spiritual diversity that exists within our culture. Sometimes we fail to understand that the Christian strategy, the one that is supported by our beliefs, prohibits us from being the dominant spiritual understanding of the nation. We preach and teach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to those on the outside, maintaining that Jesus is the only way to father while loving and trying to understand all who come from various spiritual understandings and backgrounds. We do not rule. The act of ruling we leave to others. We love all who will come, regardless of what they might believe. And in doing so, we reveal the identity that Christ has placed in us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 14